There have been many attempts to make laminated surgeon's gloves to alter the glove's surface properties. These have included slip coating layers for donning, hypoallergenic layers, and outer surface grip improving layers. However, to applicant's knowledge, none of these prior art laminated gloves have ever been marketed. This is believed to be caused by the very stringent requirements of a surgeon's glove, such as highly angular flexing in the knuckle area, and very large percentages of stretch and snapback during the donning procedure. Often the laminated layers could not withstand such harsh physical treatment without breaking down or delaminating.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,989,755 describes a hypoallergenic glove in which a rubber cement is coated on a latex glove. The rubber cement coating is described as blending or coalescing with the latex glove to form a somewhat adhesive or mechanical bond between the coating and latex glove. This patent is assigned to a very large surgeon glove manufacturer and technology has been available to them for more than 20 years. However, this hypoallergenic laminated glove has never been marketed.
Other attempts of laminating gloves which rely on adhesion at the interface include U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,070,713; 4,027,060; and 3,813,695. The latter polymerizes a hydrogel resin in place on a rubber surface in an effort to improve the interface bond. The hydrogel can absorb perspiration as well as lubricants.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,382,138 shows still another approach at surface modification of latex rubber articles for abrasion resistance. Here a polyurethane elastomer is dispersed in a coagulant solution for latex and a layer of latex and polyurethane are "codeposited" on a surface of a latex rubber article, such as a girdle, glove, swim suit, etc. Because of the codeposition, the polyurethane does not form an outer boundary layer for the rubber latex. The rubber latex, as well as its allergenic components, would still be available at the surface of the rubber article. The latex and polyurethane would be blended at the surface in a manner similar to the structure of automobile tires where abrasion resistant materials, such as clay, etc., are compounded with the rubber prior to forming the tire.
Attempts have also been made to produce a surgeon's glove made completely of silicone, as described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,872,515. A glove made completely of silicone would not be able to withstand the very strenuous stretching and snapping during donning, as well as sharp angular flexure in the knuckle area, without dimensional change during use. Dimensional change or elasticity modification during a tedious surgical procedure is highly undesirable. In addition, an all silicone surgeon's glove is very expensive due to the cost of silicone rubber.
In a different field of urine drainage, it has been proposed to chemically bond a silicone elastomer layer to a rubber latex Foley catheter. A Foley catheter includes a tube which has an inflatable balloon near one end which is inflated in a patient's bladder after insertion of the Foley catheter through the urethra. The balloon forms a knob on the catheter end to prevent the Foley catheter from prematurely being pulled from the urethra. Because of the structure of the Foley catheter, it would be impossible to coat an inner surface of the balloon with silicone. A Foley catheter balloon is usually inflated only once and maintains a static, generally spherical shape, while in the patient. Stretching forces on the balloon are approximately equal in all directions. The balloon is also deflated only once at the time of removal.
In addition to being in separate fields, a surgeon's glove has totally different physical requirements from a Foley catheter balloon. For instance, a surgeon's glove is subjected to very strenuous stretching, pulling, and snapping during the donning procedure. The stretch forces are applied in many different directions and in varying degrees of stretch. During surgery, the knuckle area of a surgeon's glove is under continual sharp angular flexing and unflexing. With continual flexing and movement of the hand inside the glove, and perhaps some slight movement of the hand relative to the glove, certain physicians experience irritation on the skin of their hands. They develop an allergy or sensitivity to certain biological components of natural rubber, sulphur and other accelerators and preservative components of rubber latex. In addition, some physicians find that the exterior surface of rubber latex surgeon's gloves are more slippery than desired, particularly when handling instruments under wet surgical conditions.